Tupac could have been “one of the greatest actors of our time” says ‘Dear Mama’ director
Dear Mama, a new five-part docuseries on the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, is unlike any other deep dive on the legendary artist, says director Allen Hughes.The Disney+ series, which focuses on Tupac and his late mother, Afeni Shakur, tells his story through the lens of her activism and struggles, providing a more rounded exploration of Tupac as opposed to a one-sided portrait of the artist.“I wanted people to know when they saw the title, oh yeah, this ain’t gonna be no typical hip-hop shit,” Hughes told NME over a Zoom call. “If you’re gonna name something with Tupac Dear Mama, you know what you’re getting yourself into.”Hughes, the director of 2017 Netflix series The Defiant Ones, which charts the rise and success of Dr Dre and Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine, began working on the series after being approached by the estate of the Shakur family.